Trump’s anti-immigration agenda is doomed to fail, Alert to the rise of ‘race’ scientists, International community must keep pressure on Myanmar, Tempering expectations of Paul Kagame’s African Union leadership, The ongoing struggle of Caribbean economies

A roundup of global commentary for the Feb. 5, 2018 weekly magazine.

Current President of the African Union, Guinea's President Alpha Conde (center-left), hands over the annual rotation of the role to Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, center-right, at the opening ceremony of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 28, 2018. The leaders of the United Nations and the African Union urged stronger international cooperation at the opening of the African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Mulugeta Ayene/AP

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Monitor Editors

February 3, 2018

Al Jazeera / Doha, Qatar

Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration agenda is doomed to fail

“ ‘New report from [Department of Homeland Security] [Department of Justice] shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted in terrorism related charges are foreign born....’ So tweeted US President Donald Trump on ... January 16, 2018...,” writes Rafia Zakaria. “President Trump’s tweet ... was incorrect.... [The report] found that three out of four individuals convicted in the United States on ‘international terror-related’ charges are foreign-born.... [I]t misstates statistics and creates new definitions of terrorism.... [H]undreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to mark Trump’s one-year anniversary in office.... Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration efforts ... are ... doomed to failure.”

The Guardian / London

Alert to the rise of ‘race’ scientists and eugenicists

“[It has] emerged that University College London has been unwittingly hosting an annual conference attended by race scientists and eugenicists for the past few years...,” writes Angela Saini. “[I]t is only the latest instalment in the rise of ‘scientific’ racism within academia. Researchers with extreme views on race number relatively few but ... they are now managing to push their ideas into the mainstream, including into respectable scientific journals.... But the steady creep of extreme views ... should worry us all.... The scientific community needs to be more vigilant. The system broke down over eugenics research in the early 20th century, with catastrophic consequences. We have to ensure this never happens again.”

The Daily Star / Dhaka, Bangladesh

International community must keep pressure on Myanmar

“We are not particularly surprised that the return of Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar [did not] start [Jan. 23] as scheduled in the repatriation agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar...,” states an editorial. “Apart from the huge logistical task of finalising the list of families eligible for repatriation, there are other conditions that have not changed.... First of all, Myanmar has not given any guarantees regarding a safe, dignified and sustainable environment in Rakhine, where the refugees will return to voluntarily.... [I]t is crucial that the international community continues to maintain pressure on Myanmar ... so that the Rohingya refugees can return to their homeland without fear and as equal citizens in that country.”

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Deutsche Welle / Bonn, Germany

Tempering expectations of Paul Kagame’s leadership of the African Union

“For the first time, Rwandan leader Paul Kagame will chair an African Union summit after he was elected in July 2017...,” writes Fred Muvunyi. “Many Africans ... have high expectations of Kagame. During his twelve months in office ... he hopes to ensure that the organization becomes self-funded.... While I believe that seeking to become self-funding is a good idea, I would have liked to see African leaders initiating a reform to reorganize the entire continent into a coherent social-political bloc.... Can Kagame resuscitate our dignity? I have my doubts.... It remains to be seen whether the new leader will go on to tackle corruption comprehensively or consolidate his control over the levers of power and public wealth.”

Jamaica Observer / Kingston, Jamaica

What is behind the ongoing struggle of Caribbean economies?

“Since [the global financial crisis], economic growth in the Caribbean has been very low, inconsistent and unsustainable...,” states an editorial. “Some of the excuses for the failure ... lie in the following. First, God made us too small to be viable. Empirical evidence of The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and Barbados ... all disproved this excuse. Second, developed countries are consistently trying to push us out of any niche we find.... To be internationally competitive we have to meet global best standards. Third, anaemic economic performance is a self-inflicted wound by poor economic management.... Fourth, natural disasters have destroyed years of gross domestic product. The Caribbean is not the only region ... prone to natural disasters.... Caribbean governments have a case to answer....”